As you may know, my 27 year old son, Damon Soler, was in a motor vehicle accident at the age of 15 almost 12 yrs ago August 14, 2011. It changed his life dramatically. Prior to the accident, Damon was a healthy, happy young man. He was a good student, excelling in academics as well as sports. Damon played football and ran track. He is well loved by family and many friends. Damon is loving, and has a wonderful smile. He now faces a future with many obstacles due to the extent of his injuries.

Damon’s injuries were many and they were severe. In addition to sustaining a traumatic brain injury, he also suffered respiratory failure, a cardiac contusion, a transverse spinal fracture, and pelvic fractures. After multiple surgeries and two and a half months of intensive treatment, his final diagnosis was determined to be traumatic brain injury with minimal neurological function. Damon continues to face many more challenges with recently being diagnosed with type 1 diabetes.

I love my son dearly and it pains me to see what he goes through every day. Damon depends on me, his mother, and his brother’s for all daily care, transfers, and positioning. He’s wheelchair dependent. However, I know with certain accommodations we can help create a better quality of life for him. The purchase of a modified van would enable Damon to continue to attend all his doctor’s appointment as well as stay connected with his community, friends, and life itself. However, funding such a purchase would be a challenge I cannot face alone.

This brings me to the purpose of this letter. To help with the cost of uninsured medical expenses, equipment, and modifications a fundraising campaign in Damon’s honor has been established with HelpHOPELive (formerly NTAF), a nonprofit organization that has been assisting the transplant community for nearly 30 years. In 2000, they expanded their mission to include those who have sustained a catastrophic injury. All contributions are tax deductible, are held by HelpHOPELive in the Mid-Atlantic Traumatic Brain Injury Fund, and are administered by HelpHOPELive for injury-related expenses only. Won’t you please consider helping Damon’s quality of life by contributing to his fundraising campaign? Thank you so much for helping.

Charito Henderson
(juanahenderson172@gmail.com